The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

On September 14 the Church celebrates the Cross of Christ — once an instrument of shameful execution, now the throne of glory. The feast commemorates the discovery of the True Cross by St. Helena in 326 and the dedication of the Constantinian basilicas in Jerusalem. The hymn Vexilla Regis sums it up: "Behold the royal ensigns fly, bearing the Cross's mystery high."

The feast gained new significance in 628 when the Emperor Heraclius recovered the relic from the Persians and carried it back to Jerusalem — barefoot, it is said, having been reminded that Christ himself bore the wood in humility. Across the centuries the feast has taught the Church to see in the Cross not defeat but victory, not shame but the deepest expression of divine love.